(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a secondary window glazing to be mounted as an add-on insulation system adjacent the interior of an existing window, thereby providing dead air space between the two pieces of glazing. In particular, the present invention pertains to a seal and compression clip for mounting and retaining the secondary glazing juxtaposed, but spaced away from, the original existing window glazing. More particularly, the seal and compression clip is designed to be secured to the existing window frame and formed so that it is capable of applying a compression force against the secondary glazing in an adjustable manner.
(2) Prior Art
As natural energy sources are depleted, the cost of heating and cooling a residential or commercial building with electricity, oil or gas has become more expensive. As a direct result of the increasing cost of heating and cooling, insulating residential and commercial buildings has become more important. However, many residential and commercial buildings were constructed during a time in which the energy cost for heating and cooling was relatively minor. In this era, there was no real impetus to employ anything other than a single window glazing during construction. Therefore, when the cost of heating and cooling increased, it became cost effective to add-on a secondary glazing adjacent existing windows, thereby creating an insulating dead air space between the original window and the secondary glazing.
One way to obtain an insulated dead air space between an original window and a secondary glazing is to mount the secondary glazing on the inside of the existing window. Many prior art documents teach a window structure in which a piece of secondary glazing is mounted inside and juxtaposed the original window to create an insulating dead air space there between. Exemplary of such documents are the following U.S. patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,691 to Greenlee (assigned to Tremco Inc., the assignee of the present invention) discloses a sealant and spacer strip for spacing two windows from one another. The sealant and spacer strip, when compressed by the two windows, forms a dead air space.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,824,753 to Anderson and 3,971,178 to Mazzoni et al, and Great Britain Pat. No. 1,189,518 to Bayer disclose an add-on secondary window spaced apart from an existing window by a peripheral spacer. The peripheral spacer is placed in compression between the windows by a retainer means including one or more screws which act to secure the retainer means to the existing window frame. The retainer means and existing screws are easily visible and detract from the aesthetic appearance of the window. Moreover, none of these references disclose or suggest a retainer means which is adjustable to vary the amount of compressive force applied to the secondary window.
One of the chief aims of the present invention is to provide a compression clip designed to apply pressure to the secondary glazing in order to achieve the proper sealing between the secondary glazing, the existing window and the window sash.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a compression clip which is adjustable, i.e., the compression force can be varied without detaching the clip from the existing window frame.
Another aim of the present invention is to provide an aesthetically pleasing device capable of covering all compression clips to present an overall pleasing appearance.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an adjustable compression clip which does not make holes in the window frame or sash to securely anchor the clip.